Fiske is an up-and-coming defensive tackle because of what he brings as an interior pass-rusher. The 2024 second-round pick has the quickness and hand usage to work the edges, the power to push the pocket when bull rushing, and he's a good overall athlete to be effective on stunts. However, Fiske has a lot of work to do as a run defender. He beats and makes plays against lower competition but really struggles to anchor against above-average or better starting guards and centers.

It feels like Harris has been underrated his entire career, going from being a seventh-round pick to playing in the NFL for going on 12 seasons and 146 games (89 starts) and counting. Even after spending over a decade in the league, the 35-year-old received just a one-year, $3.5 million contract in the offseason. Of course, age plays a major factor in that, but the Giants will be getting good value on that deal. Harris can at least be a quality depth piece who can contribute to a rotation with his ability to defeat blocks and push the pocket from several alignments, bringing a physical presence to a defensive line that just lost Dexter Lawrence.

Dexter's run defense can get him in trouble because he struggles to hold his gap, especially against combo blocks or double teams. But the three-year veteran is a quality interior pass-rusher who has gotten better and more productive every season. Dexter has solid power to push the pocket when bull rushing and can work the edges to keep guards and centers honest in the passing game.

The 31-year-old Collins has made a career out of being a quality interior pass-rusher, and he's coming off a career-high 6.5-sack performance despite playing in a career-low 12 games. He can still win in a variety of ways, with the strength to go through an interior offensive lineman's chest and the quickness and hand use to win around them. The 10-year pro isn't and hasn't been a big factor against the run, but he did make a handful of impressive plays on a small sample size last season despite getting up there in age.

Payne can be a pest for opposing offenses in the run game, as he has several ways to defeat blocks and make tackles near the line of scrimmage. He can also be effective against a variety of offensive linemen to contribute from several alignments. The eight-year veteran just isn't a consistent tackler against the run. As a pass-rusher, the 2022 Pro Bowler isn't nearly as effective as he used to be. Payne can beat lesser competition to get pressure, but he struggles and often blends in against better guards and centers, though.

Campbell will turn 40 years old before the regular season starts, but he's still playing at a high level. The 18-year pro is a solid run defender who showed a few veteran tricks of the trade to get off blocks and make quality tackles in 2025. He is also an effective pass-rusher via stunts and a decent hump move. The six-time Pro Bowler just isn't nearly as dominant as he used to be.

Stewart is on the wrong side of 30 and is likely nearing the end of his career, but he's still a solid run defender who can be a boulder in the A-gap and occasionally split combo blocks to make tackles near the line of scrimmage. The nine-year pro doesn't have nearly the same impact he used to, but he can still fill the gap-filling role on any defensive line.

Robinson doesn't provide much as a pass-rusher, but he is a versatile run defender in the trenches. The 10-year can line up anywhere from a shade nose tackle spot to a 4i-technique defensive end and bring down running backs for short gains. He isn't much of a penetrator anymore, hurting his disruptiveness, but the 31-year-old has little to no problems holding up at the point of attack and maintaining gap control.

Hill has quietly carved out an eight-year career as a solid all-around starting defensive tackle. He has the strength to gain control of blocks at the point of attack or push the pocket, and he's decently quick to work around blocks as a change of pace and is solid at playing the hands as a pass-rusher. The 31-year-old just doesn't have a dominant trait to be in the upper echelon of interior defenders in the league.

A few years ago, McNeill looked like an up-and-coming defensive tackle in the NFL. Then, he was bitten by the injury bug with a torn ACL suffered late in the 2024 campaign being the most significant. That forced the five-year veteran to miss the first six games of this past season, and it appeared to impact his explosiveness in both phases of the game. When healthy, McNeill can be a very impactful interior defender who makes his presence felt against the run and as a pass-rusher from multiple alignments. However, missing 14 contests over the last three seasons makes it difficult to put the NC State product in a higher category heading into the 2026 campaign.

After a slow start to his career, Togiai is coming off his best season yet. The 2021 fourth-round pick really stood out as a run defender, splitting combo blocks to make tackles and showing impressive strength at the point of attack to beat base blocks and two-gap. He still has room for growth as a pass-rusher, but Togiai has a great opportunity to prove himself with another strong campaign during a contract year.

Tart has become an impressive run defender over the last two years in Los Angeles. He has the strength to win at the point of attack, decent quickness to work the edges, and can get penetration with his get-off. That gives the six-year pro a variety of ways to beat blocks and make tackles in the run game. As a pass-rusher, Tart is still growing. He had a few quality wins with finesse moves last year, but he struggles with pad level and that makes it difficult for him to be an effective bull-rusher and push the pocket on the interior.

Over the past three years, Redmond has gone from being an undrafted free agent and getting cut by the Carolina Panthers to signing an XFL contract before becoming an up-and-coming run defender in the NFL with the Vikings. He's strong at the point of attack to lock out offensive linemen and made a good amount of tackles against quality competition last season. The Oklahoma product is also versatile enough to play anywhere from a 5- to a 3-technique and has shown some ability to push the pocket. He does need to add to his pass-rush arsenal to become a more complete player and take the next step in his career.

Rankins has been up and down throughout his career and was on during his return to Houston last season. The 2016 first-round pick has the size, strength, athleticism and quickness to be a solid, well-rounded defensive tackle in both phases of the game. It's just a matter of which player the Texans are getting moving forward, especially against the run.

As a quick-twitched and high-level athlete for an interior defender, Kancey is good at working the edges as a pass-rusher and can be a weapon on stunts. However, the 6'0", 280-pound lineman's lack of size and strength impacts his ability to anchor as a run defender. It also doesn't help that the three-year pro has struggled to stay healthy, missing 22 games in his career, including 14 with a torn pec last year.

Onyemata is an underrated run defender. He can defeat blocks with strength and power and has shown the ability to use his athleticism to make offensive linemen miss as a change-up. Also, the 10-year veteran has the versatility to play several alignments on early downs. He just isn't as disruptive and productive of a pass-rusher as he used to be.

Odighizuwa makes his money as a pass-rusher, where he has several ways he can win. The five-year veteran can push the pocket with a bull rush, has active hands and is a solid athlete beat interior offensive linemen with finesse moves. Against the run, he can be a decent penetrator but is more of a boom-or-bust type of player.

Over the last couple of seasons, Ojomo has proven to be an ascending defensive tackle in the league. He has the strength to lock out and defeat blocks from interior offensive linemen, and he's coming off a strong performance as a pass-rusher with six sacks last season. The 2023 seventh-round pick's combination of power and athleticism gives him the ability to push the pocket when bull rushing, win with a club move and be effective on stunts. Ojomo just needs to get better at working the hands to add to his arsenal.

Jones is a boulder in the run game who can plug up inside rushing lanes against double teams and beat one-on-one blocks to make quality tackles near the line of scrimmage. He does have some limitations with his lateral movement skills, which can show up against outside zone schemes and as a pass-rusher. However, the 26-year-old is beginning to make a name for himself as a run defender and has a bright future. Plus, Jones can occasionally push the pocket and notched five sacks last year to start becoming more productive on third downs.